greatest quote ever

Tuesday I had my two year CT scan, which is statistically a big deal as far as recurrence is concerned. As always, there was a lot of “scanxiety” prior to the test, but I got through it. In addition to images, they write a report on what the image shows. Here is the greatest quote ever, and unlike most doctor’s report, it is straightforward, easy to understand with no jargon, and is the first line in the report. Here it is: “Stable treatment-related changes with no evidence of recurrent cancer.” What could be any better!

As I said, it been two years (and fourteen days) since my treatment concluded on Christmas Eve 2020. It’s been a tough few years since I was diagnosed – 7 chemo infusions, 33 proton radiation treatments, probably a dozen scans, few dozen nasal endoscopes, countless blood tests and other procedures. I have a lot of ups and downs: from the diagnosis, starting treatment, to a few months during and after treatments where I was barely able to physically walk around the house and I was in a really dark place, to the elation of treatments being over, the good news each quarter that the scans/scopes we’re clean, my first day back on the golf course, a couple of summer long trailer trips. In November 2021, Adam was born, Suzy’s and my first grandchild. Lee, my youngest son, was married to a wonderful young women Heidy on December 17th 2022, and the following day Suzy and I had our 40th wedding anniversary.

Through it all, Suzy, Lee, Heidy, Eric and Irene (Adam too) have been there for me. I couldn’t have made it without them. Suzy was my caregiver and I can’t imagine life without her. I have always listened to music but I listen almost daily to a song by The Format called On Your Porch. Each time, it makes me think of how Suzy took care of me. Some of the lyrics go like this, written from the point of view of a son:

“Well my dad was sick. And my mom she cared for him. Her love it nursed him back to life”

I have tears in my eyes as I write and think of those words. Thanks Suzy! Thank to Lee, Heidy, Eric, Irene and Adam. Thanks to all my friends and family who supported me emotionally. With your help, I have been nursed back to life.